I promised you this new recipe yesterday, and as promised, here I am with a new focaccia. 😊 Still decorated with hearts, but this time it’s a potato and rosemary focaccia, a very simple potato focaccia, one of those that, let’s face it, the web is full of. I truly believe there isn’t a blog or cooking site without its own (or several) potato focaccia.
But not me, I was missing one. After 10 years of blogging, I didn’t have my own personal potato focaccia until now.
Indeed, 10 years of blogging. It was exactly three days ago, in 2014, that I made that famous click with a shaky hand, the “create blog” I told you about in this article and then followed by a week of complete inactivity due to my total inability to do anything behind the scenes of the blog. I couldn’t even save an article with the right title. Truly.
And nothing, a few days ago, the infamous coincidences that sometimes happen without us noticing (in this case: the recipe for the heart focaccia to write, the decision to try it again with bell peppers, the lack – surprise – of bell peppers in the fridge, the sourdough starter that absolutely needed refreshing) led me to prepare a dough on the fly, one made out of necessity and kneaded for two minutes and off, and then once risen, to decide to decorate it with the only thing I had at home that could somehow withstand being cut into heart shapes: that is, potatoes.
Everything else, the coincidence of the little hearts with the 10 years of this blog that I didn’t even want to celebrate, and the coincidence with the wedding anniversary that falls today (oh wow! what a coincidence!) is nothing but pure coincidence. Which coincides with these potato hearts and this focaccia.
So, in short, the hearts had nothing to do with all these cascading anniversaries, but could I not take advantage of it to write the recipe just to make it coincide? 😄
〰️ 〰️ 〰️
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Rest time: 9 Hours
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 4 pieces
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
- 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup liquid sourdough starter (leftover)
- 7 oz water
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 potatoes
- rosemary (to taste)
Tools
- Bowl
- Spoon
- Knife
- Peeler
- Baking Tray
- Parchment Paper
Steps
The dough is basic: made only of flour, water, and sourdough starter, plus a tablespoon of oil, mixed with a spoon like no-knead doughs, and worked by hand for a few minutes (6 minutes to be precise), no mixer, no folding, just two S&F folds done twice at irregular intervals (one after half an hour, one after two hours, when I remembered). Then 8-10 hours of rising (in my case exactly 9 and a half hours).
Below are 4 illustrative photos, and for the dough instructions, that’s all here.
A single note: it’s a somewhat sticky dough, so it may be helpful to flour your hands (or oil them) during the two short minutes of kneading.
When it has doubled, roll it out on a baking tray or sheet (I use my usual 12×10 inches tray, but a round 12-inch tray is also fine) lined with parchment paper.
👉 Regarding the rising times, as always, it can’t be exact (unless using a proofing chamber with constant temperature) because it depends on the room temperature and the sourdough: I used the leftover so the rising time is longer compared to active sourdough.
👉 Remember, in the absence of an actual proofing chamber, the microwave (obviously turned off) is a good compromise, keeping the dough safe from temperature fluctuations and drafts.
The rest of the recipe is solely about the heart-shaped potato cuts.
Proceed as follows:
Peel and slice the potatoes.
Cut a heart out of each slice.
Here are 4 sequential photos showing the 4 simple steps:
1, take a potato slice
2, round two sides of the slice to form the bottom point
3, cut a small triangle from the top of the slice
4, round the two top points.
And the heart is finished.
It’s so simple that it’s easier done than described!
NB: Don’t throw away any leftover potato pieces (obviously!), I chopped them along with carrot, celery, onion, and fennel stalks and used everything to make a risotto, very good (and creamy thanks to the potatoes). 😉
Arrange the heart-shaped potatoes on the previously rolled out dough on the tray.
👉 In potato focaccias, the potatoes are usually placed overlapping each other because they separate during baking, I left the hearts a bit apart to make them more visible, but in hindsight, a few more hearts would have been nice.
Before baking, brush oil over the entire surface, including the potatoes, and add rosemary (or oregano) to taste.
Bake in the oven at 428°F for 30 minutes. Check the baking and if necessary lower the temperature, or cover with foil during the last minutes of baking.
☝ It can be useful to slice the potatoes with a mandoline to ensure they are all the same thickness, I cut them by hand and as you can see from the photo, a couple of hearts were too thin and got a bit too tanned (but someone here preferred that piece of focaccia!).
And, hearts aside, I must say this simplified dough, quickly kneaded without much care, stood out for its deliciousness!
Enjoy your meal!! 😍
Salt-Free Tips
Truly delicious even without salt, this focaccia. 😋 If you’re not used to low sodium and feel the need to add flavor, sprinkle the surface with some spices, like curry and ginger; spiced potatoes are always fabulous, even on focaccia.
If you’re interested in reducing or eliminating salt, always remember to:
▫ Reduce salt gradually, your palate needs to get used to it slowly without noticing the gradual reduction.
▫ Use spices. Chili, pepper, curry, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cumin…
▫ Use herbs. Basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, mint…
▫ Use seeds. Sesame, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts…
▫ Use spicy vegetables or fruits. Garlic, onion, lemon, orange…
▫ Use my salt-free vegetable granules
▫ Prefer fresh foods.
▫ Avoid cooking in water, prefer cooking that doesn’t disperse flavors (grilled, foil, steam, microwave)
▫ Avoid bringing the salt shaker to the table!
▫ Occasionally indulge in breaking the rule. It’s good for morale and helps perseverance.
If you don’t want or can’t give up salt:
▫ You can still try my recipes by salting according to your habits.
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As always, you can find me on my Facebook page, on my Pinterest boards, in my two groups: Catia’s group, in the kitchen and beyond and Exactly what I was looking for! and if you want… subscribe to my Newsletter.
